Fund Evaluator:
Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv (VLEOX)
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Best Performing in Small Growth Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv Overview
Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv (VLEOX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. Value Line launched the fund in 1993.
The investment seeks long-term growth of capital. Under normal circumstances, the adviser invests at least 80% of the fund's assets in stocks of U.S. companies with small market capitalizations. A portion of the fund's assets may also be invested in stocks of U.S. mid-market capitalization companies. The adviser defines "stocks of U.S. companies" as companies that do business in the U.S., are organized in the U.S. or whose stock is traded on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter market.
About Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv (VLEOX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 14.84 years: Stephen Grant (1998), Mitchell Appel (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Russell 2000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv has 51 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 43.3% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 94.5%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv has 5.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $372 million in total assets, which is below the $454 million average for the Small Growth category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
VLEOX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv has an expense ratio of 1.21%, which is 3% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv has a portfolio turnover rate of 16%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 76% for the Small Growth category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv returned 6.6%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Growth category had an average return of 6.5%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.07% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 12.6%, 9.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 19.2% over the past year (grade of F), 13.2% over the past three years (grade of D) and 7.4% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 11.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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VLEOX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| VLEOX Return (NAV) | 6.6% | 11.3% | 19.2% | 13.2% | 7.4% | 11.8% |
| VLEOX Grade | C | F | F | D | B | C |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | -13.4% | -14.5% | -3.1% | 2.8% | -0.8% |
| Small Growth Avg | 6.5% | 24.7% | 33.7% | 16.4% | 4.6% | 12.5% |
| VLEOX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 1.6% |
VLEOX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VLEOX Return (NAV) | 12.6% | 6.4% | 14.2% | 22.0% | -19.1% | 15.2% | 26.6% | 25.1% | -4.7% | 17.6% | 14.4% |
| VLEOX Grade | F | D | C | A | A | B | F | D | C | F | B |
| +/- Category | -9.5% | -1.7% | -1.3% | 5.3% | 8.8% | 4.7% | -15.2% | -4.7% | -0.6% | -6.4% | 4.1% |
| Small Growth Avg | 22.1% | 8.0% | 15.5% | 16.7% | -27.9% | 10.5% | 41.8% | 29.9% | -4.1% | 24.1% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 15.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.31 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.79 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (3% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.86 |
| R-Squared: | 50% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $827 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 373 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inv |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 16% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 27.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 14.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Grant Stephen (1998), Appel Mitchell (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 51 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 43.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 94.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 5.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Value Line |
| Phone Number: | 800-243-2729 |
| Website: | www.vlfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | June 23, 1993 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.21% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.18% |
| Share Class: | Value Line Small Cap Opportunities Inv |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
